What happens if you throw sand into a jet engine?

Derek Muller takes us on a whirlwind tour of jet engines—breaking down how they squeeze, combust, and blast air to keep us flying, why they’re enormous beasts, and how modern turbines use single-crystal nickel superalloys (with some wild casting tricks) to survive scorching temperatures without melting.

After geeking out on edge dislocations and crystal structures, he dives into the real-world drama: sand ingestion. Spoiler—it’s not just a sandy mess in the cabin. Those tiny grains can erode blades, clog cooling channels, and seriously cripple performance if they get past the filters.

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